Adding to the toolbox for tidal-inundation mapping in estuarine areas
In estuaries, land-surface and tidal elevation conspire to influence the amount of salt-water inundation in a specific location, ultimately affecting the distribution of estuary vegetation. Plants vary in their tolerances to salinity and inundation. Understanding even small changes in land-surface elevation at a site scale provides relevant information to managers seeking to design effective long-term restoration projects. Restoration of estuary habitats has been identified as a tool to mediate some anticipated effects of climate change, including flooding from sea-level rise, precipitation regimes, and storminess. Further, habitat restoration that is effective in the face of climate uncertainty is critical to the sustainable production of seafood and maintenance of ecosystem functions. We offer a simple method that links tidal elevations to upslope topography, allowing managers to determine where tidal inundation of upslope areas may occur. This method does not require complex modeling, rather we combine existing high- accuracy tide-gage information with LiDAR imagery. However, we found that if LiDAR is not flown at low tide, or at consistent tidal heights, it poses significant challenges in the interpretation of tidal elevations. Where LiDAR is consistently collected at low tide, this method of linking the tidal datum to upslope topography is not data-intensive, and does not require long-term data collection. Along with locally specific information, the types of map products that can be developed using this method should identify places that may be potentially vulnerable to salt-water inundation, along with places that may be effective migration corridors for marshes and other habitats.
IDENTIFYING AND STRUCTURING OBJECTIVES FOR A CORAL REEF PROTECTION PLAN AT THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region 2 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiated a Coral Reef Protection Plan (CRPP) in 2014 to reduce anthropogenic stress on Caribbean coral reefs. The CRPP is intended to foster institutional practices that improve reef condition and focus regulatory and nonregulatory decision making on minimizing pollutant release to coastal systems. A framework incorporating two sets of objectives was constructed to examine the short- and long-term costs and benefits of tasks. The first set of objectives was derived from existing tasks in the CRPP and was intended to support an update of the CRPP for 2015. Fundamental objectives were constructed to communicate the end objectives across tasks and means objectives were constructed to communicate the means for achieving them. The second set of objectives was created to reflect costs and benefits of the CRPP beyond 2015. These objectives contained fundamental objectives comprising broad social, economic, learning and governance topics. The means objectives included tasks such as building capacity, providing regulatory oversight, and learning and reducing uncertainties. The second set of objectives also included strategic objectives that identify long-range benefits such as coral reef integrity and reef ecosystem services. The process of defining objectives helped to ascertain and better elucidate the important consequences for the CRPP. Understanding objectives not only provides a roadmap for coral reef protection but can help Region 2 communicate internally and externally with other agencies, industry, and the public.
Tourism impacts on small island ecosystems: public perceptions from Karimunjawa Island, Indonesia
In Indonesia, tourism has become a promising major economic sector, particularly because of its contributions toward developing the economy and creating employment opportunities for local communities with rich coastal ecosystems. However, the balance between the environmental, social, and economic realms has come into question, as unsustainable tourism practices continue to be promoted in Indonesia. To address such challenges, it is important to identify tourism impacts and provide sustainable policies and plans. Communities often record tourism impacts through their perceptions and act as important stakeholders in the process of sustainable tourism development. We examined tourism impacts on coastal ecosystems in Karimunjawa from the perspective of local communities. More comprehensively, we investigated their perceptions from three perspectives: socio-cultural, economic, and environmental. The study results revealed that the respondents held positive perceptions about tourism's impact on socio-cultural and economic sectors and negative perceptions about its impact in the environmental domain. A chi-square test and Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that the respondents' educational attainment and tourism involvement influenced their perceptions on these issues. The current study results could be used as a baseline reference for contextualizing sustainable tourism plans regarding small island ecosystems in Indonesia.
Composition, sources, abundance and seasonality of Marine Litter in the Çakalburnu lagoon coast of Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea is one of the most contaminated by marine litter (ML) in the World. In this study, the Turkish Aegean Region was evaluated in light of the sources, abundance and composition of ML along Çakalburnu Lagoon coast. Macroscopic ML with > 3 cm was collected and separated into composition and sources categories. ML abundance was calculated by its density in items/m (Mean ± SD). Beach cleanliness was evaluated according to Clean-Coast Index (CCI). Seasonality was found as factor for ML composition, sources and abundance at Çakalburnu coast. Plastic was the most abundant material, followed by unidentifiable items. The major sources of ML were mixed packaging, domestic and fisheries activities. The mean ML density was 0.64 ± 0.09 items/m. Çakalburnu coast was classified as during all seasons. Therefore, ML contamination on Çakalburnu coast represent a potential threat to coastal and marine environments. Thus, the present study can serve as a base for the elaboration of mitigating actions urgently needed at Çakalburnu Lagoon.
Roles and interrelation between variables : a study case of plastic waste management in Jakarta Bay
The accumulation of plastic waste in the marine environment has increased the global risk of marine pollution due to its negative impact on land, ecosystems, and especially the food chain and marine organisms. Ineffective plastic waste management has reduced the quality of the coastal environment including community sanitation and health, landscapes, and coastal views, and influenced economic sectors such as tourism, fisheries, and shipping. The economic and public activities within coastal areas have consistently as the source of plastic waste leakage either directly or indirectly. Various variables involved and connected each other, some influential and other existing variables were not working effectively and do not support each other optimally in the system. The policy without limitation on the plastic production and certain type of plastic such as packaging or single-use, bags, and a lack of management capacity have led to the establishment of a burden on current plastic waste management within the coastal and marine of Jakarta Bay. Therefore, the study aims to analyze the roles and interrelation of variables that influence plastic waste management in Jakarta Bay. Public participation through group discussion, interview, and Micmac analysis method was used to identify, map, and analyze their interrelationships, roles, and hierarchy in the plastic waste management system. The results showed that the dynamics of variables' interaction affect their level of performance and contribution. The variables with strong influence have the potential to strengthen others, while some had a high dependence which was vulnerable to have ineffective performance in the waste management system as their stability relied on other variables' performance. A group of variables were greatly affected by others and indicates that they had lower influence and higher dependence, while the rest of the variables were relatively disconnected from the system. The key to better waste management is to improve the performance and the quality of relationships of variables that were found in the influential and intermediate quadrants. Furthermore, the indirect influence variables also need to be considered as they have the potential to contribute to the future system strategy or scenario planning.
Participatory process for marine spatial planning: perception of Mar del Plata's residents on offshore hydrocarbon exploration in the North Argentina Basin (Argentina)
Offshore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation are activities developed internationally in the advance of the energy industry. Conflicts generated by incompatibility with others or with social actors, make the approach from Marine Spatial Planning necessary. In Argentina, although it is a process that has been developing since the middle of the 20th century, it was not until 2014 when the National Government promoted the activity. The North Argentine Basin (NAB) constitutes a hydrocarbon exploration area that was delimited in 2018 by Resolution 65/2018. This activity in the NAB has given rise to conflicts between intervening social actors, which was manifested in the Public Hearing (AP1/21) held in July 2021. That is why the objective of this work was to analyze the results of the AP1/21 and contrast them with the opinion of Mar del Plata's residents. For this, 682 semi-open surveys were carried out, where they were asked about the activity and the AP1/21. As a result, it was obtained that 373 people were expressed in favor (4%) and against (96%) of the project. Topics such as climate change, energy planning, and disagreement with the steps of the participatory process and the environmental impact study were presented. In the case of the surveys, opinions similar to those expressed in the audience were found, corroborating results and conclusions between both processes. In summary, the work allowed us to know not only the opinion of Mar del Plata's population but also the type of information available on the economic activity analyzed.
Public perceptions of marine environmental issues: A case study of coastal recreational users in Italy
Marine environments provide ecosystem services jeopardised by human activities, resulting in impacts requiring urgent attention. In Europe and southern Mediterranean countries like Italy, marine environmental problems of note include marine litter, overfishing and climate change, among others. Public engagement is essential in mitigating these problems. In this context, investigating public perceptions and what influences these perceptions is necessary to design the right public engagement strategies. This study evaluated perceptions of marine environmental issues among coastal recreational users along the Conero Riviera in the Adriatic Sea. This is a location used for many coastal activities, affected by several human impacts and considered to become a marine protected area. A total of 202 coastal recreational users were interviewed regarding their perceptions of marine environmental issues including awareness, concern, observed changes in the local coast, and pro-environmental behaviours to combat marine environmental issues. Regression analysis was used to determine influential variables in perceptions. The participants were mainly aware of and concerned about issues including pollution, litter and overfishing. They had observed changes in the local coast primarily encompassing wildlife reduction, toxic algal growth and mucilage. They engaged in pro-environmental behaviours principally including recycling, litter collection and pollution reduction. Awareness of marine environmental issues influenced concern, while the observation of coastal changes and pro-environmental behaviours were mainly influenced by demographic variables like water use and gender. The results of this study were used to make recommendations concerning the design of communication and education campaigns and strategies to stimulate pro-environmental behaviours to support marine conservation.
Landscape change trends and their impacts on coastal tourism resources in the future: a case study from pak Phanang, Thailand
This study aims to investigate the impacts of landscape change on natural tourism resources in coastal areas of Pak Phanang and to estimate future landscape changes. Data on tourism resources, land covers and coastline modification were collected on a random basis and combined with in-depth interviews of key informants. Data analysis seeking to demonstrate future coastline modification and projections interpreted satellite imagery using the hybrid approach to generate periodic coastal maps and the Dinamica EGO program to analyze future change rates of the coastline and landscape change. The results found that during 2021-2036, the areas of rice/vegetable farms, mudflats, beaches,and beach forests are likely to increase. The impacts on tourism resources can be negative or positive. The negative impacts arising from such changes include the decrease in the number of beaches in the southeast area and the increase in mudflats in Pak Phanang. The positive impacts include the beaches and beach forests in the northeast area increasing. These results can equip governments, communities and tourists with knowledge on the changes in landscape and tourism areas to prepare and adjust for such changes in the future.
The Nicobarese tribes and their coastal fishing activities during the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions- preliminary findings
We interviewed the Nicobarese tribal community ( = 95) of Car Nicobar Island situated in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, India to analyze the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on their coastal fishing activities. Our surveys revealed a significant reduction ( < 0.001) in the average monthly income and fish catches during pre and post-COVID-19 scenarios. Constraints faced during the pandemic-related restrictions and the possible solutions to reinforce the fishing activities were highlighted for sustainable resource management in Car Nicobar Island.